Vaping in schools has become an epidemic in recent years. Many schools are seeing a frequent increase in e-cigarette use among students, especially on school premises during school hours. In a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, 19.6% of high school students (3.02 million) and 4.7% of middle school students (550,000) reported current e-cigarette use.
However, new technology is assisting with sensing vaping and reducing the number of usage at school. Usherwood Office Technology offers security and surveillance system services to our clients, and amongst these technologies are sensors that alert vaping in the area.
What is Vaping?
A vape is a device that heats liquids into a vapor form to be inhaled. The liquid consists of nicotine, THC, and CBD. Vapes are also filled with unknown harmful chemicals. Vaping devices can be tough to detect due to not releasing strong scents and easily being concealable in clothing pockets or backpacks. This is why vapes in school environments have become more problematic than ever.
An Increase of Vape Use in Schools
Numerous schools in the United States are running into the same issue of young students vaping on school property. Some approaches to stop vaping in schools have gone as far as taking the bathroom doors off stalls, placing fines on caught perpetrators, or suspending anyone seen with a vape device. Even with these desperate methods, there are still issues with monitoring the use of vapes. Many of these "solutions" can violate privacy issues.
Although the FDA has worked to prohibit the sale of vapes containing flavors that could attract children and teenagers, studies have displayed that vaping is still a significant issue despite this.
How Can Verkada Security Sensors Help?
Verkada's cloud-based sensors can detect any sign of vaping or smoking activity. The all-in-one sensor can monitor environmental changes such as air quality, temperature, humidity, motion, and noise. With Verkada's vape sensor solution, bathroom stall doors can stay attached, cameras can remain out of locker rooms and bathrooms, and vaping can be regulated without imposing on people's privacy.
For sensitive areas, such as bathrooms or locker rooms, users can opt out of having a camera associated with the environmental sensor. You can manage Verkada sensors through the web-based Command Platform.
For non-private areas, such as classrooms, hallways, or open spaces, users may place sensors and cameras in the same area at their discretion. Cameras positioned toward regions of interest can provide the best context and visibility. This can include placing them directly under the sensor where vaping/smoking behavior is likely to occur.
These sensors allow schools and other smoke-free facilities to monitor vaping and smoking behavior from the Command Platform using Verkada's Vape Index, making it easy to conduct investigations and implement deterrence measures.
What You Can Manage with Your Verkada Vape Sensor
The Verkada vape sensors include various features to keep usage friendly and convenient. Some of these features include being able to:
- Customize the data displayed for each SV11 sensor.
- Set alerts based on user-defined thresholds for each data stream.
- Configure notification recipients and scheduling.
- Filter Data by sensor, date, and time.
When determining where to implement Verkada’s sensors, it's essential to remember that they can be sensitive to cooking, exhaust, or wildfires, which may falsely increase the Vape Index score. For that reason, you want to keep them in environments more prone to vaping incidents, such as restrooms, classrooms, and hallways.
Why Use Verkada Environmental Sensors?
Verkada has created recommended sensor value ranges based on data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). With this, they can make color-coded sensors aligned to these government and industry standards for healthy indoor environments.
A Safer Learning Environment for Students
Ensuring that students and children have a safe and healthy learning environment will always be a top priority for schools. Vaping is not only harmful to the students participating but may also impact the students around them.
With this new issue for education systems to prioritize, it's exciting to provide a solution to ease the pressure applied to faculty and staff to stop it. With environmental sensor technology, students will be less likely to use vapes and less likely to be exposed to harmful temptations at school. For more information on how recent technologies are helping keep schools safe, visit our "Classroom Technology Supported by Smart Schools Bond Act" article.
Interested in Making Your School More Secure?
It's essential to ensure that students are in a learning environment that will keep them safe and secure when they go to school. However, Verkada sensors aren't the only way to create a safer environment for your school. Video surveillance solutions can allow you to find and efficiently review camera footage around your school.
Usherwood works with many clients to help implement these security solutions. If you want to learn more about Verkada's cloud-based video surveillance solutions and environmental sensors, contact Usherwood today to discover your business solution.
